This is the first of a cycle of three webinars on the subject ‘navigating IP enforcement challenges in Africa’. The first webinar will discuss the enforceability of trade marks in Africa, with a particular focus on the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). ARIPO is an intergovernmental organisation established to promote and facilitate the protection of IP rights in the various African countries.

Geographical scope: Botswana, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

IP enforcement experts will explain the main opportunities and challenges for EU SMEs seeking to protect their IP assets in one or more of the above-mentioned ARIPO countries. They will introduce ARIPO and its role, typical IP enforcement issues, and engage in lively discussions with participants. At the same time, they will present real case studies of European companies that have experienced IP enforcement in the region.

During this webinar, participants will also hear from representatives of the European Observatory  on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights about the real risks of counterfeiting for SMEs, based on the results of recently published studies and the SME scoreboard.